The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-08-06

I'Never man spdKe ike Jnls mdn. JONI
vii. 46.1
However men may have differed about
the true nature of the man Jesus Christ,
there has never been any disagreement
as to his mighty influence upon man.
kind. Practically, there has been no dis
sent from the report of the officers sent
to arrest him, upon whom that gracious
discourse wrought such telling effect
that their only excuse for not having
seized this disturber was, that never
man so spake. And the verdict of pos
terity is well given by Mr.. Lecky, the
eminent historian Ia man who is classed
with disbelievers), when he says, ut
may be truly said that the simple record
of three short years of active life has
done more to regenerate and to soften
mankind than all the disquisitions of
philosophers and all the exhortations
of moralists." How are we to account
for this gracious and powerful influence
upon human history Though, unques-
tionably, large part of the effect comes
from the example of a stainless life, we
are at present to concern ourselves,
however, with that other part that has
come from the spoken words of him
who spake as never man spake.
The wonderful power of that teach
ing affects us with greater admiration
when we consider the many limitations
under which the man Jesus was born
and labored. He lived in disreputa-
BILE village of poor province; he had
no alliance with the ruling powers; he
was without formal schooling, and had
no opportunity to acquire the learning
and culture Of his age his ministry
lasted only three years; his immediate
disciples were peasants, like himself
he went about on foot, talking to those
who might assemble to hear him; he
left no written line of his teachings,
and, so far as is known, nothing that he
had said was committed to writing I'M
til many years after his death. Against
all of these facts, how are we to explain
the mighty power of that teaching which
so soon became the bread Of life to the
nationsp
1. Part of the explanation of the
power of Christ's teaching is to be
found in the fact that he appealed to a
new principle in human life-that prin-
ciple, faith. While calling men to
righteousness, he endeavored to instil
into the heart of man new life.
1t is comparatively easy thing to go
to men laboring under consciousness
of sin and guilt, and address them with
moral maxims. 1t is easy enough to
write homiIies on the subject Of human
depravity, to lament the selfishness of
the times, the greed, the cruelty, the
irreverence. 1t is easy enough to talk
about the beauty of holiness, the sense
of fuller and stronger and deeper man.
hood that comes with right living. But
homilies and pious maxims are insult
ficient for the salvation of the perish
ing classes. The hungry ask bread,
and we give them stone. The per-
ishing cry for help and we offer them
talk. 1t was not so with Christ. Other
great moralists before him there had
been, but none of them had been able
to awaken great moral enthusiasm in
the hearts of mankind. There had
been many grounds of appeal to men to
lead better lives patriotism urged a
better development of the qualities
which were useful to the state; self
love was urged as motive to right liv-
ing; it was shown that the wicked are
like the troubled sea, and that the way
of the ungodly shall perish. There was
rigorous discipline in virtue. Habit
was considered to be an almost omnip-
otent power, and it was thought that if
once the body of the people could be
trained in virtuous action for time,
the desire to do evil would no longer
exist. If we could only make virtue
the conventional thing, some thought,
then people would do the right thing,
not indeed because it is virtuous, but
because it is conventional.
Yet, in spite of all these proposals
the moralists before Christ had not
much hope for the great mass of the
race. Moral regeneration, they said, is
for the elect only. The ignorant and
servile must remain ignorant of the
higher light of life, must continue in
bondage to the promptings of the lower
appetites. We can show cultivated
people that sensualism is violation of
highest manhood, that righteousness is
the true and rational end Of our exist
ence, but we have no way in which we
can reach the unlettered. Moreover,
these moralists had no positive force by
which to deliver a poor wretch whose
whole nature has been so brought un-
der the bondage of corruption that of
his own will he has no power to raise |
himself to better things. They could |
show a man Of intelligence that life |
of sin in the end is an Improbable and |
disastrous life, and could give him an |
opportunity by his own exertions to